The Album Review Club - Week #196 (page 1316) - Aja - Steely Dan

[BlueHammer85]

This score will also go into the Top 1100 league table.

 

[mancity1]

Likewise it's my favourite Zeppelin album, (but Houses Of The Holy is a close second) Obviously I know each and every track as do you, and have to say you have beautifully summed them all up very very well.
You have lost your way mate .... you should be on Classic Rock, Fireworks, or Rock Candy magazines books. 10/10

Could be wrong but I will be most surprised if we don't have a new front runner that won't be easy to toss.

 

[OB1]

Blimey, you're keen - 12.03!!!!

Great write-up and I'm looking forward to listening to this. Coming to music in the 1980s, there's a whole host of great music that I've never listened to. I'm familiar with a lot of Zep's songs but apart from IV (which I bought for "Stairway to Heaven"), I don't think I've listened to another of their albums from start to finish. I already love "Kashmir", which I have listened to plenty of times.

Your comment about investment paying dividends really struck a chord with me. There are times when I end up thinking about that tenner that I spent 20 or 30 years ago and marvel at the rewards it has brought me. Can you ever buy something that's better value for money than a CD you've owned for that long?

I've bought far too many cds but thank goodness they do last. I recall in their early days stories about how they would deteriorate physically.

In fact one great thing about them is what good value they can be when you buy them 2nd hand, which I try to do with older stuff on my wish list.

I played PG several times while doing my essay and it was always a pleasure and never a chore to put it on.

 

[OB1]

Absolutely terrific write up @OB1 - whilst I am very familiar with the album, I definitely need to give it a listen with my 'listening ears on'.

However, brace yourself for incoming hate mail for daring to refer to some Lennon / McCartney output in slightly less than God like status.......... ;-)

I learnt a few new things e.g. I actually looked at the lyrics (there of course is not lyric sheet with the album).

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

For some reason I used to like Led Zeppelin a lot and then went right off them. No idea why. Maybe I just overplayed them, but is it me or does Plant sometimes sound like he's been recorded while trapped in a toilet cubicle? I hear a strange 'distance' between his voice and the music, plus he annoys me when he fills out songs with "Ooh yeah", "everybody" or whatever.

I'd probably never score a Zeppelin album less than 5 but not more than 8 either.

7 / 10 for this one.

 

[OB1]

Nice write up mate. I must have been one of those older boys as I did indeed have a canvas rucksack painted orange (of all colours) with a splendid zoso rune in jet black across it.

I know the album very well but in terms of playing the game will go and listen to it again a couple of times with my critical hat on. I can’t agree it’s the best double ever as my previous pick holds that accolade and then there is Quodraphenia, Ariel, Tommy, Lamb, Exile, Sign o the times...I find one disk far stronger than the other but there is no doubt you have made a fine (if rather safe) choice ;-)

I think you are slighly older than me. Back then, even a year could make a big difference.

Orange is my second favourite colour although I don't own anything orange other than some pencils and a highlighter. A true 70's colour. My bedroom had orange and white furnishings, orange curtains and, ultimately, black walls and ceiling.

I did eventually get a canvas rcuksack, in fact it's still in a box in the attic) but I just had biro logos on the back: Kiss, Rush and Starz.

 

[OB1]

Likewise it's my favourite Zeppelin album, (but Houses Of The Holy is a close second) Obviously I know each and every track as do you, and have to say you have beautifully summed them all up very very well.
You have lost your way mate .... you should be on Classic Rock, Fireworks, or Rock Candy magazines books. 10/10

Thank you, you're too kind.

 

[OB1]

For some reason I used to like Led Zeppelin a lot and then went right off them. No idea why. Maybe I just overplayed them, but is it me or does Plant sometimes sound like he's been recorded while trapped in a toilet cubicle? I hear a strange 'distance' between his voice and the music, plus he annoys me when he fills out songs with "Ooh yeah", "everybody" or whatever.

I'd probably never score a Zeppelin album less than 5 but not more than 8 either.

7 / 10 for this one.

It can be hard to tell what Plant is singing at times. I think Jimmy definitely puts him in the mix rather than on top of it.

 

[Saddleworth2]

It can be hard to tell what Plant is singing at times. I think Jimmy definitely puts him in the mix rather than on top of it.

I’ve never forgiven him for plagiarising Tolkien.

 

[OB1]

I’ve never forgiven him for plagiarising Tolkien.

:-)

 

[OB1]

Nice write up mate. I must have been one of those older boys as I did indeed have a canvas rucksack painted orange (of all colours) with a splendid zoso rune in jet black across it.

I know the album very well but in terms of playing the game will go and listen to it again a couple of times with my critical hat on. I can’t agree it’s the best double ever as my previous pick holds that accolade and then there is Quodraphenia, Ariel, Tommy, Lamb, Exile, Sign o the times...I find one disk far stronger than the other but there is no doubt you have made a fine (if rather safe) choice ;-)

On the greatest double album thing, I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek in dissing other ones that I own and love (well not so much The White Album!) but as it is my favourite album, it is inevitably my favourite double. I don't know Ariel but will recitify that at some point; Tommy, Quad and Sign are great and The Who are one of my favourite bands.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

First song I heard off the album. I loved it - and predictably my mom hated it!

Anyone else have the original album - with the cover insert that you could slide back and forth to make different characters appear in the windows?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

First song I heard off the album. I loved it - and predictably my mom hated it!

Just one of the awesome songs off of my favorite Zeppelin album.

Anyone else have the original album - with the cover insert that you could slide back and forth to make different characters appear in the windows?

I do, yes.

 

[mancity1]

I do, yes.

Likewise but I must confess it was a gift given to me but what a presence it was ( pardon my ordinary spelling ).

I bought the Cassette with my own money (LOL).

 

[OB1]

First song I heard off the album. I loved it - and predictably my mom hated it!

Anyone else have the original album - with the cover insert that you could slide back and forth to make different characters appear in the windows?

Of course, still got that and two cd versions, one of which has a replica of the original sleeve.

 

[chesterbells]

Wonderful album review from OB1, as per the other poster’s comments. And like probably everyone else who has read it, it’s got me desperate to dig it out again and play the album again too.
It seems churlish to take issue with anything in tbh, as I basically agree. However, this being a forum an’ all, I guess I might as well.
1) I had it for ages on a single AD 90 TDK tape, and would always play side one of the tape, but just FF the second side. Like others have posted, I think sides 3&4 are more uneven, and the quality dips, with some ‘throwaway’ tracks. For that reason it’s a 9/10 album for me. If they’d just released sides 1&2 as a single album then it would be 10/10.
2) re the comment about Kashmir, great track that it is, for epic sounds, I actually prefer Stargazer. Even though possibly, ahem, inspired by Kashmir, that Rainbow track is unsurpassed in terms of lyrics, vocal performance, instrument playing and orchestration. They say Phil Spector created the Wall of Sound, well that track for me has it and then some.
3) ob1’s frequent mentions of layering of guitar sounds just kinda reinforces my view about how Zeppelin really were masters of the studio recording, but that with technology as it was in the 70s they would have benefited so, so much from having an additional musician tour with them live. Floyd did it to fantastic effect with Snowy White, and I don’t know if it was the band or Grant being money-minded, or an ego thing from Page, but to do justice to these off-the-scale studio tracks live they needed it, imho.

Anyway as I said, cheers @OB1 - a pleasure to read :-)

 

[BlueHammer85]

Led Zep v Talking Heads - it's like a Champions League final.

 

[chesterbells]

Led Zep v Talking Heads - it's like a Champions League final.

Haha

 

[Saddleworth2]

Led Zep v Talking Heads - it's like a Champions League final.

what?
Manchester City vs FC Sheriff Tiraspol ?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Led Zep v Talking Heads - it's like a Champions League final.

Well . . . . if The Beatles, Stones, Led Zep and Who are the "greatest" classic rock bands of the late 60s and 70s (and many would argue all-time), who are four "greatest" post-punk/pre-grunge bands of the 80s? Would someone make a case for U2, REM, The Police and Talking Heads?

This is not to open a can of worms (I know a lot of folks dislike one or all of those four 80s bands) -- just trying to draw a parallel at the number 4.